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Puzzle #25: Sassy Simian (Kaidoku)

Posted on January 14, 2022January 8, 2022 By Alex No Comments on Puzzle #25: Sassy Simian (Kaidoku)

PUZZLE LINKS: JPZ Download | Online Solver


Titling coded crosswords is a challenge. The plan for this one was to hint at some grid entries. We’ll see how it plays.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a coded crossword, here’s the rundown:

Each answer in a kaidoku, or coded crossword, is a common, lowercase English word. The numbers 1 through 26 each stand for a different letter of the alphabet, and instances of a given number stand for the same letter throughout the entire grid.

Last time I posted one of these some people asked “how do you even get started on these?” so here are some pointers:

  1. Look for unusual letter patterns.  Are there any words with double letters?  How about a long word with only a handful of distinct letters?  Spotting one or two of these can really get you going.
  2. Look for the Q.  There has to be at least one, and there probably aren’t many.  When there’s a Q it has to be followed by a U (no “qat” nonsense here) and that U is in turn followed by a vowel.
  3. Look for vowels (especially E).  Letter frequency is your friend here.  There are probably a lot of E’s in the puzzle, so which ones can that be?  The advantage of solving digitally is that trial-and-error is a valid strategy here.

What I think is so rewarding about these puzzles is they look absolutely impossible at first but once you get on a roll it feels great.  Give it a go and don’t give up right away!  It’s worth it.

Enjoy the solve, and as always, if you plan to solve on Twitch, let us know about it!

Kaidoku, Puzzles, Variety Puzzles

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